By Myself
by Chizuru
Summary: Tifa decides to move on.


Note: Pro-Game. Everything belongs to Squaresoft,  
and is used without permission. -Chi  
  
  
The rain poured loudly against the dry dirty surface. Tifa  
blinked rapidly as a drop of filthy liquid made its way in  
to her blazing red eyes.  
  
"Damnit," She rubbed her eyes with the back of her  
hand. "Why does it have to start raining now!?" The  
young girl stooped down and started pulling out a  
old, worn-down hooded cloak from a leather bag   
that would somehow prevent her from getting too  
wet.   
  
She held out a bare hand, allowing another drop  
of filthy water to land on her unprotected skin. Her red  
eyes stared steadily at the drop that stood steadily in the  
middle of her palm. The rain drop shook like jelly as  
Tifa moved her hand, she stared at the meaningless  
droplet a moment longer before shaking her hand,  
tossing the drop away from her.   
  
"Hey." A deep, soothing, familiar voice called out from   
behind. Along with the voice, she also heard squishy  
noises that were created by rubber boots as it stepped  
in to the muddy surface.  
  
She needn't turn around to find out who the owner of the  
voice was, Tifa knew the voice by heart. Too well.  
"Cloud." She said in a equally deep tone, a hand went up to  
her face, pulling back a strand of dark raven hair behind  
her left ear. Looking up, she exhaled a lungful of air, she   
blinked rapidly, preventing liquid to reach her blazing red  
eyes, and preventing liquid to flow down freely from the  
ruby pool.   
  
He was the reason that she was standing alone in the rain,  
bracing herself with mixed emotions that had errupted  
for no real reason.  
  
Well, maybe there is a reason.  
  
Aeris.  
  
She shook her head slightly, but not significant enough for Cloud  
to notice. Compared to Aeris, she was far from being significant.   
Tifa knew that when Aeris had stumbled in to the picture  
like the norm damsel in distress in those sickening sweet romance  
novels.  
  
She couldn't stand a chance against that girl.  
  
Aeris was pretty, and she knew that this was an understatement. Aeris  
was drop-dead gorgeous to be exact. She had this holiness around  
her that would not allow Tifa to even begin to hate her. She was   
definitely a sweet heart, helping everyone when they were desperate for  
help, she was strong in her own way, although she was not physically  
powerful. Aeris was also her friend. The two clicked the first time they  
actually had a heart to heart chat with one another. Despite the jealous  
sparks that went off from Tifa's own injured heart when they were in the  
Shinra cells, Aeris was probably the first girl that Tifa could call a   
friend.   
  
"I haven't seen you in a really long time." Tifa could feel him shoving his hands  
in to his pockets, in an almost teenager style. She didn't even have to turn  
round to figure that out.   
  
When she did turn around, she found him doing exactly like she had imagined.  
Cloud was still irresistably handsome like he had always been. She smiled  
at imagining being held in his strong arms, like the embrace that he had held  
her with before their last head match against Sephiroth. But she knew he  
had only held him for a friend's sake. Only out of the goodness of his heart   
in order to comfort her own discouraged soul.   
  
"Yea..." She drawl in slowly, her ruby not meeting his saphire. "It's been a while."  
Tifa stood straighter, enabling herself to look taller then usual, as she felt his  
presence near her.  
  
She felt a gentle hand land on her covered shoulder, "How have you been?" His  
voice sounded so genuine and sincere to her. It almost feels strange to see Cloud  
say anything like that. It was as if someone had dubbed his voice over Cloud's  
own cold tone.  
  
Tifa shrugged, his hand slipping off her shoulder. "I've been great. Life's been the  
same. My new bar's doing really well."  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." He breathed, Cloud looked quite uneasy. "You ..." He trailed,  
not after shaking his blonde head.  
  
"What?" She inquired, her ruby eyes blinked and twinkled.  
  
Cloud cocked his head to the side and enfolded his arm before his chest, a confused  
expression on his face. "You seem different."  
  
"Do I really?" Tifa smiled, she scratched the back of her leg with the other. "How  
so?"  
  
He shrugged, and turned his face away from her, but his blue eyes never   
left her face. "I dunno. You just seem... distant."  
  
She tried hard to prevent her smile from widening. Tifa silently congradulated  
herself for forming a successful barrier around her innerself, her true feelings.  
The girl didn't want to depend on anyone anymore. She wanted to prove  
to no one in particular, may be except herself, that she could stand by herself.  
  
"...no." She ensured him. The girl set both hands on Cloud's shouders and   
turned him towards the opposite direction. "Let's get in the cabin, it's   
getting kind of chilly out here." She pushed him lightly, causing him to   
walk towards the tiny wooden cabin infront of them. Through her eyes,  
she could see blazing fire burning happily in the fireplace. She swallowed  
down the lump that had managed to form within her throat when she had  
saw the fire.   
  
The young girl still had a hard time looking at fire. Whenever Tifa saw the  
fiery element, a sudden flash woud bring back a burning scene of Nibelheim.   
The pair took a couple of steps before Cloud stopped completely and turned  
around again. Tifa almost ran in to his chest if she had not stop herself in time.  
  
Cloud held out a hand, a kind look on his face, "Oh yeah, Teef, you want me  
to carry some of your stuff?"  
  
Instead of handing over the bag that slung heavily over her shoulders, she   
placed her own hand gently atop of his. A genuine smile on her face, that shone  
nothing but strength and faith. "No."  
  
"You sure?" A playful smile was pulled across his lips.  
  
"I can do it," nodding, she withdrew her hand and pulled back another   
strand of hair. She had decided, that she no longer needed to depend on Cloud,   
or anyone. She could depend on herself, she was old enough to take care of  
things herself. Tifa didn't need any pity from anyone, she could handle it just as   
well as any other person, if not better. "By myself."  
  
He nodded and his smile grew wider as he threw his arm around her   
shoulders, and started walking towards the cabin with his arms around her.  
Just like friends, Tifa thought with a beautiful smile carved in to her face.   
There may be a time when trouble would find her, and she knew that could   
rely on her friends then. But for now, she wanted to move on, and the only   
person she wanted to rely on was no one else, but herself.   
  
  
End Notes:   
Hey there. I hope you liked this. This is definitely not one of my favorites,  
but I still like it. Please review or drop me an e-mail on how I can improve  
my writings and such. Thanks a lot.  
  
  



End file.
